Garmin Tactix 8 – the boldest outdoor watch I’ve ever tested
4.7.2025
Translation: Megan Cornish
Pictures: Siri Schubert
The Garmin Tactix 8 is supposed to be the ultimate watch for hardcore outdoor enthusiasts. Does it deliver on its promises? I tested it for three months.
From night vision to stealth mode, kill switch and a jumpmaster feature, with the Garmin Tactix 8 on my wrist, I feel like a heroine from an action thriller. At least when I consider the tactical capabilities that give the watch its name. They’re aimed specifically at military personnel, hunters and survival enthusiasts.
But even if you’re not on a secret mission, serving in the military or a skydiver, the watch might still be of interest to you. I tested it extensively for 12 weeks through trail running, an ultramarathon, cycling, swimming, snorkelling and other water sports.
And it delivered. The Tactix 8 is extremely powerful. It has all the features I wanted and more. But, unfortunately, it also comes at a price.
The tactical features of the Tactix 8, such as «Applied Ballistics» – which is designed to make shooting at distant targets easier – are essentially what set it apart from the Fenix 8, Garmin’s latest Fenix sports watch (the official launch date for the next watch in the series – the Fenix 8 Pro – hasn’t yet been set).
Nevertheless, the Tactix 8 also offers some innovations for outdoor athletes, making it a good alternative to the Fenix 8.
Three models for different needs
With the Tactix 8, you can choose between two sizes and three models: the 51 mm dial is available with or without solar charging. The 47 mm version doesn’t use solar power.
If you choose the 51 mm solar version, you’ll get the watch with Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) technology for optimised battery life. The other two watches have a bright AMOLED display with touchscreen functionality.
Sapphire crystal protects the display from scratches on all three models. The titanium bezel gives the watches a rugged outdoor look. They’re water-resistant to 100 metres, but only suitable for scuba diving to a depth of 40 metres.
Robust with long battery life
I like the textured keys with their structured surface. They’re easy to feel, even in the dark.
The battery life’s impressive: the 47-millimetre watch I tested lasted 16 days with the AMOLED display activated only when needed and seven days with the display always on. Using the GPS function while exercising or navigating will reduce the battery life. Nevertheless, it’s very good: I rarely have to charge the watch, so I almost forget to do it.
On a 60-kilometre run, I was delighted that I didn’t have to worry about the battery dying before I reached my destination. While running in the dark, I wanted to check the display every now and then to make sure I was still on the right track.
Speaking of navigation, it’s excellent, as you’d expect from newer Garmin models. Thanks to multi-band GPS, routes are recorded and tracked precisely. Loading them onto the watch – from Komoot for example – is also easy with the Garmin Connect app.
As military as some of the watch’s features may seem, the developers also thought about everyday users. The watch can guide me to the nearest café or bike repair shop or a nearby pizzeria. If a road’s closed or you choose a different route, the route’s recalculated using the pre-installed maps.
If that’s too straightforward for you, you can also use the compass to point to a destination and let it guide you in the desired direction. This is what sets the watch apart: the submenus offer countless options to use it as you see fit.
The sports features I love
In short, the Garmin Tactix 8’s the most versatile watch I’ve ever worn. 80 sports profiles are installed, including water sports such as kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, scuba diving, surfing, scuba diving and free diving.
Scuba diving, however, is only possible in single-gas mode, and Garmin stresses that the watch shouldn’t be used as the sole dive computer. I haven’t been able to test the watch while diving yet, but I’d only use it as a secondary device. Firstly, the screen’s too small for me, and secondly, I plan dives with tables and a dedicated dive computer underwater. But, as a backup, it can be quite useful, with depth alarms, breathing gas settings (nitrox or air) and warnings – for maximum oxygen saturation, for example.
Trail running, mountain biking and strength training are also included. It’d go beyond the scope of this article to discuss all of the features, so here’s an overview of the ones I consider particularly useful.
Rucking
The rucking setting’s new to the Tactix 8. Rucking – or hiking or running with a rucksack – is a popular fitness training option, especially in the US. Even though I’m not a dedicated rucker, I often carry a lot of weight when trail running or hiking. (Update: following a firmware update, the Fenix 8 now also offers the rucking feature.)
I think it’s useful that I can now enter how many kilos I’m carrying. Previously, the VO2 max value – or maximum oxygen uptake per kilogramme of body weight – was calculated from a combination of pace and heart rate. Workouts with a backpack are no longer included in the calculation. This helps to get a more realistic picture when monitoring training based on VO2 max.
The wrist-based heart rate monitoring with the fifth-generation optical sensor’s also very accurate. I compared it with the values from the heart rate strap and noticed only minimal deviations. I rely entirely on the heart rate strap when swimming and doing water sports, as I often wear the watch over neoprene.
Hill Score
I also really like the «Hill Score» – the value that shows me how well I perform on climbs. The measured strength and endurance on climbs and VO2 max value are crucial here (the latter’s also available on the Fenix 8). As a trail runner, it’s good to see there’s still room for improvement in terms of my strength on climbs. Bring on the hill sprints and strength training, I say.
Strength training
While we’re on the subject, while the Tactix 8 is an outdoor watch, strength training is a must. I particularly like the exercise and workout suggestions with visual guidance. They complement the running training suggestions the watch already shows me every morning.
Surfing
The watch is also useful for trendy sports. I activated the surf function to track my pump foil sessions. This shows me my distance, speed, time and heart rate. Because the measurement only starts when a certain speed is reached, a few seconds were missing at the beginning and end of each run. Overall, though, I’m very happy with the feature. It allows me to automatically measure my progress in a fringe sport and incorporate it into my overall training.
Recovery
The Garmin software has long been my favourite when it comes to recovery metrics. It records the intensity of your workout and overall exertion as well as your activity on recovery days. If you take a nap, the Tactix 8 picks that up and reduces your remaining recovery time.
Although I have a pretty good awareness of my body and can usually tell whether I‘m ready for the next workout, I’ve been wrong several times in the past few months. Each time, I was glad I could rely on Garmin’s training recommendations instead of trying to do my own workout with heavy legs.
Music and calls
The Tactix 8 (like the Fenix 8) has a microphone and speaker. You can load offline music or podcasts onto the watch’s internal memory (32 GB, including some for offline maps). If you want to listen from the watch itself via Bluetooth headphones, that’s an option too.
You can also answer calls when your phone’s within range. I think this feature’s brilliant. This means I don’t have to dig mine out of my running belt or rucksack when I’m jogging or cycling – I can just make calls from my watch.
You can control the watch or access your phone’s voice assistant via voice command. However, some online forums suggest that the microphone means the watch isn’t approved in situations where tactical features would be useful, such as in some military facilities.
Lifestyle features: sleep, ECG, breathing, steps
Did I mention that the watch is versatile? This is also reflected in its lifestyle features. It has everything that smartwatches offer these days, from a pedometer to breathing and oxygen saturation readings and an ECG, which – according to Garmin – detects cardiac arrhythmias.
I’m usually sceptical about sleep tracking. Firstly, I usually know whether I slept well – I’m there, after all – and, secondly, I can’t change my sleep quality after the fact anyway. Despite my cynicism, I find myself checking my sleep quality in the morning. Although the Tactix 8 can only measure sleep stages based on movement profiles, not brain activity, the values over the past three months have been consistent with my experience.
Tactical features awaken a sense of adventure
I’ll probably rarely, if ever, need the tactical features designed for military personnel, pilots, hunters, and skydivers. Nevertheless, I can’t completely escape their coolness factor.
For example, there’s the torch, which can glow white or green – the latter apparently makes maps easier to read.
Or night vision mode. Or the kill switch, which deletes all your data from the watch within ten seconds – indicated by a countdown. Then there’s stealth mode, which continues to record your activity but turns off GPS tracking and wireless communication.
The flight function lets you navigate to the nearest airport, including smaller regional airports. I can’t say how useful this feature is for pilots, but I could picture it as a backup.
In a nutshell
An incredibly versatile, robust watch for sports and adventures
The Tactix 8 is extremely powerful. It has all the features I want from an outdoor sports watch – and more. From the excellent battery life to the navigation and training suggestions, it offers everything I value in terms of support.
The Tactix 8 is – clearly – a sports watch, not a lifestyle watch, yet it offers many lifestyle features that are nice to have, but unnecessary for me.
This begs the question: who is this watch for? Ambitious outdoor athletes with specific training and competition goals will appreciate its versatility and accuracy. However, its sports features barely differ from those of the Fenix 8, so the latter would be a more affordable alternative.
I can’t really judge how useful the tactical functions are, as I’m neither a hunter nor a pilot. However, these features enhance the watch’s hardcore image. And I can imagine some outdoor enthusiasts might enjoy wearing it for that reason alone.
Pro
- Robust with sapphire crystal and a waterproof finish
- Plenty of sports functions with accurate heart rate and GPS measurement
- Extremely versatile with individual setting options
- Voice control and calls (via phone)
- Accurate navigation with multi-band GPS
- Training suggestions and advanced recovery measurement
- Tactical features for different scenarios
Header image: Siri Schubert
Siri Schubert
Senior Editor
Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.chResearch diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.
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